MASTODON’s SANDERS: ‘I’m As Excited As Anyone Else To See Where Next Album Takes Us Musically’

Onslaught Radio conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON earlier today (Saturday, August 25) at the Reading Festival at Little John’s Farm in Reading, England. You can now watch the chat below.

On the band’s ever-evolving sound:

Troy: “The four of us in the band, we always embrace change and we never wanna write and record the same album twice. So we want each album to be a different and fresh chapter in the MASTODON catalog. That’s our intention — to write and record a new-sounding album every time.”

On MASTODON‘s plans for a new studio album:

Troy: “The future is very unknown, I think. After these two festivals — the Reading and Leeds — we’ll take some time off and start working on new ideas. And I’m as excited as anyone else on this planet to see where we’ll take it musically. I have no idea.”

On whether there is pressure on MASTODON to write music that will please fans and critics:

Troy: “We never really tried to cater any riff, any song, any sound to please any [particular group] of fans, any type of journalists, any critics or anything outside of the four of us. Once the four of us leave our practice space after writing a song, or even a riff, or even one line of lyrics, or something, if the four of us agree on it and are proud of it and are happy with it, then that’s all that really matters. Because we need to be happy with it ourselves, ’cause we’re going to be married to this music for life. And we really just write the songs, and we do everything to ultimately please ourselves, and if it carries over to anyone else around the world and they like it, then that’s just a wonderful dessert at the end of a giant, delicious buffet.”